Winning Post

This week in Winning Post

This week's Winning Post will be available online from 3pm Thursday here

Victoria's Festival of Racing approaches its climax at Flemington this Saturday and what a day it's shaping to be.

The Chris Waller-trained September Run was an eye-catching behind stablemate Nature Strip in the Lightning Stakes recently and the filly will only be better suited in this Saturday's Group 1 Newmarket under handicap conditions and over an extra 200 metres.

The other Group 1 is the Australian Cup, which looks a wide-open affair, with Noncoformist, Fifty Stars, Shared Ambition and Defibrillate among the fancies.

There's a dual Group 1 card at Randwick as well, with the Canterbury Stakes and Randwick Guineas set down for decision.

On what is a long weekend in much of Australia, Winning Post will steer you through all the way from Friday's Newcastle Newmarket to Monday's Adelaide Cup.

Our form coverage kicks off on Friday with full form guides for the Cranbourne night meeting plus Stawell and Newcastle during the day, as well as fields, colours and selections for Friday's other TAB meetings.

The metro racing this Saturday is at Flemington in Melbourne, Randwick in Sydney, Morphettville in Adelaide, Eagle Farm in Brisbane and Bunbury in WA.

Winning Post carries full-colour liftout guides for all those meetings plus Edenhope (Vic/SA/Tas edition), Hawkesbury (NSW edition) and Gold Coast (Queensland edition), as well as fields, tips, ratings and/or colours for other TAB Saturday cards.

On Sunday we've got liftout formguides for Echuca and Stony Creek Cup days plus Black Opal/National Stakes day in Canberra. On Monday we've got full form for Adelaide Cup day. Plus we've got fields, ratings, tips and colours for a stack more Sunday and Monday programs including Monday's Canberra Cup/Guineas card.

Don't forget Winning Post now carries trackwork reports for all four Melbourne training tracks, all three in Sydney, Morphettville in Adelaide and a general Brisbane report.

Away from the form, we've got news columns from Queensland, NSW, six Victorian districts, SA and Tasmania.

Our readers have their say on page 4, while further back in the book Shane Templeton reminisces, Paul Richards presents his unique take on the sport, Tony Kneebone brings you his Snippets column and Number Cruncher delivers the stats that matter.

Winning Post costs $5.50 and is available Thursday afternoon online, Friday in shops.

... More

Central Victoria: Gutsy gelding passes with flying colours .................................................................................................................................................

SA: Scorched Earth scorches turf .................................................................................................................................................

Country NSW: Pandano pleases Perry, punters .................................................................................................................................................

Western Victoria: Pateman keen to be on Big Blue .................................................................................................................................................

Picnics: Don and Shaun show comes to Alex .................................................................................................................................................

More Stories

Inside Winning Post March 6 edition you'll find liftout form guides for:

Friday:

Cranbourne, Newcastle, Stawell

Saturday:

Flemington, Randwick, Morphettville, Eagle Farm, Bunbury, Edenhope (Vic/SA/Tas edition), Hawkesbury (NSW edition), Gold Coast (Qld edition)

Sunday:

Echuca, Stony Creek, Canberra

Monday:

Morphettville

Eye Catchers

Each week Paul Richards identifies horses from recent race meetings that he believes are ready to win. Here we update you when they are about to have their next start.

Flemington Saturday - R4 N3 Laverrod 3rd

Flemington Saturday - R4 N6 Subedar 1st

Flemington Saturday - R6 N11 Buffalo River 3rd

Flemington Saturday - R7 N2 Tagaloa 3rd

Flemington Saturday - R9 N14 Need New Friends 2nd

Royal Randwick Saturday - R5 N7 Icebath 3rd

Royal Randwick Saturday - R7 N11 Elizabeel 3rd

Results

Letter of the Week

Feed the little fish

On Racing.com (23/2) Darren Gauci told Terry Bailey that there are not enough non-TAB races in Victoria.
Darren’s perspective related to such meetings helping to further the education of young and inexperienced jockeys, but let’s not forget the benefits to the smaller players — the trainers, jockeys and horses being steamrollered by the “biggies”.
Queensland conducts at least four non-TAB meetings on Saturdays at places spread far and wide and they are essential to service the entire state.
The standard prizemoney for restricted races at those meetings is $7450, but that’s almost twice the money available on Victoria’s picnic circuit, which is wholly focused in the east of the state, distinctly disadvantaging those out west.
If Queensland can do four non-TABs, surely there’s room for at least one a weekend in Victoria, bearing in mind that the picnic season doesn’t extend beyond autumn.
If Racing Victoria needs to skim a little of the cream from the millions of dollars being swallowed up by the mega-stables, so be it.
It’s only fair because it will never be equitable.

Keith Lofthouse
Black Range (Vic)